9 IS militants killed in eastern Afghan airstrikes

KABUL, March 23, 2018 (BSS/XINHUA) — At least nine militants of Islamic State (IS) terrorist group have been killed following airstrikes in two Afghan provinces, said command of special forces Friday.

“The Afghan Special Operations Forces conducted an airstrike on Thursday, in Dih Bala district, Nangarhar province, against the IS terrorist group. As a result eight IS members were killed,” Operational Coordination Group Afghanistan (MoD-OCGA) said in a statement.

In neighboring Kunar province, one IS fighter was killed in a similar attack in Chawkay district on the same day, according to the statement. The statement did not provide information about the identity of the killed, saying more details about the targeted militants will be made public soon.

The Afghan Special Forces killed over 6,100 militants, injured about 3,200 and detained 443 others throughout 2017. They also destroyed 15 militants’ command and control posts and 352 bunkers in different places over the period, according to OCGA.

The IS group, which emerged in Nangarhar in early 2015, has yet to make comments on the report.